Spring Tuneup Checklist
The winter storms are calming down. Make sure all of your pizza equipment is ready for pizza nights. Here is a checklist of important items to prep for the spring.
1) Charcoal
Charcoal would seem to be straightforward. Put it in the grill, light it and cook. In spring, pull out the bag left over from last year, no problem. The problem is that charcoal is absorbent. If you park a paper bag in a damp, humid area it will absorb moisture and perform poorly. The spring to-do is to check your inventory and make sure you have plenty of fresh charcoal. Blend old and new charcoal if yours has been in a damp setting.
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Pizza Stones with some natural patina
2) Stones
Your pizza stones are the floor of your pizza oven. You will want to make sure to get them cleaned and ready. The best way to clean stones is with a scraper and wire brush. Scrape off the big chunks and drips and brush off the smaller spots on the stone. Do not use soap or degreaser for cleaning. After they are scraped, wipe them with a wet towel to get the dust off. Never oil a stone as the oil will burn and impart an acrid taste to your pizza. While you have the tools out, scrape and brush your heat deflectors or plate setter as well.
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Wooden peel and pizza wheel clean and ready
3) Tools
Pizza tools are generally low maintenance, but a little care goes a long way. Scrub your metal peel to remove any pizza remnants. If it has a wooden handle, a little mineral oil or stain is beneficial once a year. For wood peels, dry scrape the blade and handle to remove any dried-on flour. A damp scrubbing sponge is also helpful. It is ok for a peel to get wet, but do not submerge or soak the blade in water. Mineral oil or cutting board oil is beneficial from time to time. Make sure the oil has plenty of time to absorb before you plan on using the peel. One last tool to consider is your pizza cutting wheel. Treat it like a knife blade and although it is awkward, sharpen it with a knife steel. You will be amazed at the difference.
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Dry ingredients
4) Ingredients
You buy pizza toppings fresh for each cook obviously. Make sure the items you buy in bulk are in stock and still fresh. A jar of yeast has a fresh-through date, but once opened the yeast seems to fade faster. Flour that was on sale last year will also age out on the shelf. Make sure you are stocked with the pizza dough essentials - flour, yeast, and salt.
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5) Grill spring clean
There is a lot of information about grill cleaning online. Getting 100% of the ash out from the nooks and crannies will help airflow. Disassembly and a shop-vac are the go-to method for us. We don’t recommend a burn-off, but if your grill has a lot of dripping on the inside allow extra time during your first pizza cook heat-up. Set up the grill with everything except the pizza stones in place and start the fire. When the smoke clears, install the stone(s) and let them get up to temperature. The only additional spring prep for pizza cooking is to ensure that your hinge has not creeped out of adjustment. Cold fit the Pizza-Porta to ensure it is all set.
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We hope this is a helpful checklist to get your Pizza rig ready for spring. Send us an email if you have any questions or comments: dash@pizza-porta.com
For more information see our other materials